Distinguishing regional and local sources of pollution by trace metals and magnetic particles in fluvial sediments of the Morava River, Czech Republic

Purpose

Regional contamination of southern Moravia (SE part of the Czech Republic) by trace metals and magnetic particles during the twentieth century was quantified in fluvial sediments of the Morava River. The influence of local pollution sources on regional contamination of the river sediments and the effect of sampling site heterogeneity were studied in sediment profiles with different lithologies.

Materials and methods

Hundreds of sediment samples were obtained from regulated channel banks and naturally inundated floodplains and proxy elemental analyses were carried out by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (ED XRF) and further calibrated by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP MS). Magnetic susceptibility was determined as a proxy for industrial contamination. The age model for the floodplain sediments was established from ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb dating. Trace metal contamination was assessed by establishing the lithological background values from floodplain profiles and calculating enrichment factors (EF) of trace metals (i.e. Pb, Zn, Cu) and magnetic susceptibility for the entire study area.

Results and discussion

Channel sediments are unsuitable for the reconstruction of historical regional contamination due to their lithological heterogeneity and the “chaotic” influence of local sources of contamination, as well as the possibility of geochemical mobility of pollutants. On the other hand, sediments from regulated river banks qualitatively reflected the actual, local contamination of the river system.

Conclusions

This approach allowed us to distinguish the influence of local sources of contamination by comparison with more spatially averaged contamination signals from distal floodplain profiles. The studied area is weakly contaminated (EF ～1–2), while individual sediment strata from regulated channel banks reflect local sources of contamination and contain up to several times higher concentrations of trace metals.     

Geochemical tools for the stratigraphic correlation of floodplain deposits of the Morava River in Strážnické Pomoraví, Czech Republic from the last millennium

The floodplain of the Morava River in Strá?nické Pomoraví, south-east Moravia, Czech Republic contains a very valuable record of regional environmental change, which goes back to several thousand years. Its interpretation has been limited by poor stratigraphic correlation and dating of the sediments. We present a geochemical solution to this challenge. We studied 8 outcrops of floodplain deposits from 4 localities along a 6 km long part of the current meander belt of the Morava River in Strá?nické Pomoraví using geochemical proxy analyses, magnetic susceptibility measurements, ¹⁴C dating of wood remnants, and sediment micromorphology. The proxy methods are based on elemental analysis (EDXRF) and analysis of the cation exchange capacity of clay minerals; granulometric analyses provided the basis for lithological and facies assignment of the sediments. Our geochemical and mineralogical interpretations have further been tested by microstratigraphically studying the optical properties of the fine fraction. Horizons older than about 3 centuries were ¹⁴C dated using wood remnants and the age of deposits from the last century was determined on the base of several proxies reflecting their industrial contamination by heavy metals and magnetic particles. The mean depositional rate over the period from about 1000 to about 1900 AD ranged from 0.2 to 0.6 mm y^− 1, depending on the sedimentary facies. The coeval lithological change in the majority of the studied sections indicated a change of the meander belt structure at between ~ 1200 AD and ~ 1600 AD probably as a consequence of changes of channel structure. The alluvial deposition in the 20th century was strongly affected by the river regulation.     

Spatial Variability of the Particle Size Composition of Overbank Floodplain Deposits

An important feature of overbank floodplain deposits is the spatial variability of their particle size composition. Analysis of such spatial variability can assist in developing an improved understanding of the transport and deposition of suspended sediment on river floodplains during overbank flood events, in investigating the fate of sediment-associated contaminants and in calibrating existing floodplain sediment deposition models. The study reported in this paper investigates the spatial variability of the grain size composition of overbank floodplain deposits at different spatial scales, through analysis of surface sediment samples collected from frequently inundated floodplain sites on the Rivers Cuhn, Stour and Severn in the UK. Significant lateral and downstream variations in the grain size composition of the sediment deposits have been documented at the study sites, and the results obtained have been interpreted in terms of the processes governing overbank floodplain flow and sediment transport and deposition, which are influenced by a number of factors including floodplain geometry and topography.     

Estimation of Source of Heavy Metal Contamination in Sediments of Gomti River (India) using Principal Component Analysis

This study explores the extent and possible sources of heavy metal (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, Zn and Ni) contamination in the bed sediments of the Gomti River performing principal component analysis on the five years (Jan. 1994–Dec. 1998) data set obtained through continuous monitoring of the river water and bed sediments at eight selected sites and water/wastewater of its tributaries/drains. Influence of anthropogenic activities on metal contamination of the bed sediments was evaluated through computing the geoaccumulation index for various metals at studied sites. PCA performed on combined (river bed sediment, water, suspended solids, water/wastewater from tributaries/drains) data set extracted two significant factors explaining more than 58% of total variance. Factor loadings suggested the presence of both natural as well as anthropogenic sources for all these metals in the river bed sediments. Among all the sites, the sites 4 and 5 are more contaminated with Cd, Cu, Cr and Pb, which was supported by the geoaccumulation indices computed for metals. Factor scores revealed presence of seasonal (monsoon-related) differences in metals profiles for river water and suspended solids and absence of seasonal differences for bed sediment and wastewater. Further, the metal contamination of the bed sediment was also evaluated using biological thresholds. Results suggested that the river bed sediments are contaminated with heavy metals, which may contribute to sediment toxicity to the freshwater ecosystem of the Gomti River.     

Contamination history of suspended river sediments accumulated in oxbow lakes over the last 25 years

Background, aims, and scope  Embankment of meandering river systems in many industrial areas results in the formation of artificial oxbow lakes that may act as perennial or intermittent traps for river sediments. Their deposits can be dated using a combination of historical and stratigraphic data, providing a good means to study historical records of contamination transported by rivers. Contamination history over the last few decades is of special significance for Central and Eastern Europe as it can reflect high pollutant levels in the second half of the twentieth century and the subsequent improvement after the fall of the Iron Curtain. The purpose of this study was to investigate recent sediments of an oxbow lake of the Morava River, Czech Republic, their stratigraphic records, sediment architecture, and history of contamination. Materials and methods  Seven ground-penetrating radar (GPR) profiles and three sediment cores up to 4 m deep were studied. The stratigraphy of the cores was inferred from visible-light spectrophotometry, X-ray radiography, grain size analysis, and semiquantitative modal analysis of sandy fractions. The sediments were dated using the ¹³⁷Cs mass activity and combinations of stratigraphic and historical data. The cores were sampled for concentrations of heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants. Wet sampled, lyophilized, and sieved sediments were extracted and analyzed for heavy metals by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) of aqua regia leachate and for persistent organic pollutants by gas chromatography (GC-ECD and GC-MS). Results  Three distinct sedimentary sequences (S1, S2, and S3) were identified. The basal sequence S1 represents river channel sediments deposited before the formation of the oxbow lake, most likely before the 1930s. The boundary between the S1 and S2 sequence correlates with the level of sediment dredging from 1981 evidenced from historical data. The overlying sequences S2 and S3 represent a postdredging sediment wedge, which progrades into the lake. ¹³⁷Cs dating revealed a distinct Chernobyl 1986 peak at ∼150 cm depth inferring sedimentation rates up to 7.7 cm/year. Sediment contamination abruptly increased from the pre-1930s deposits to the post-1981 deposits. The concentration levels increased two to five times for Pb, As, Zn, and Cu, about 10 to 15 times for Cr, Sb, and Hg, up to 34 times for Cd, and 25 to 67 times for DDTs, PCBs, and PAHs. The concentrations of most contaminants remained approximately constant until the late 1980s when they started to decrease slowly. The decreasing trends were most prominent for heavy metals and anthracene, less prominent for DDTs, and almost absent for PCBs and most PAHs. Discussion  Different temporal and spatial patterns for various contaminants make it possible to distinguish between anthropogenic point sources from local industry (anthracene, Cr, Cd), possible diffuse sources (most PAHs), and geological background (V, Co, Ni, and Mo). The observed recent trends in heavy metal and persistent organic pollutant contamination are generally consistent with data from other Central European rivers. The roughly balanced contamination levels in sediments from the lake and the adjacent river channel suggest that the oxbow lake deposits reflect immediate levels of the contamination bound to suspended particulate matter passing through the river. Conclusions  The investigated oxbow lake accumulated suspended sediment from Morava River, developing a thick sedimentary body. The sediments offer a good time framework to study historical contamination of the river on a decade time scale. Continuous contamination trends can be traced back to the early 1980s. The results show that stratigraphic analysis of cores has a good potential for identification of uninterrupted historical trends and unconformities, e.g., due to dredging. Recommendations and perspectives  Oxbow lakes may provide an alternative to floodplains and reservoir deposits when studying river contamination history. High sedimentation rates of up to 7.7 cm/year offer a very good stratigraphic resolution, making it possible to study contamination patterns on annual or even seasonal time scales. On the other hand, oxbow lakes may represent long-term contamination stores, which are unlikely to be redistributed by river erosion and, hence, may possess significant environmental risks for the farther future.     

Sediment geochemistry of streams draining abandoned lead/zinc mines in central Wales: the Afon Twymyn

Purpose  

Despite the decline of metal mining in the UK during the early 20th century, a substantial legacy of heavy metal contamination persists in river channel and floodplain sediments. Poor sediment quality is likely to impede the achievement of ‘good’ chemical and ecological status for surface waters under the European Union Water Framework Directive. This paper examines the environmental legacy of the Dylife lead/zinc mine in the central Wales mining district. Leachable heavy metal concentrations in the bed sediments of the Afon Twymyn are established and the geochemical partitioning, potential mobility and bioavailability of sediment-associated heavy metals are established.     

Geochemical traces of flood layers in the fluvial sedimentary archive; implications for contamination history analyses

We studied three cores from a well-dated sediment archive from an oxbow lake of the River Morava, Czech Republic, using a high-resolution (1 cm) multiproxy stratigraphic analysis and a concentration of selected heavy metals. The objective was to investigate how the vertical distribution of pollutants could be affected by episodic flood sedimentation in archives with high sedimentation rates. Stratigraphic proxies (magnetic susceptibility/MS/, X-ray densitometry and visible-light diffuse reflectance spectrometry), supported by grain-size analyses, enabled us to identify relatively coarse-grained flood layers and correlate them in the proximal-to-distal direction in the oxbow-lake delta. A correlation of the flood layers with the time series of the river discharge was used to improve the age model based primarily on ¹³⁷Cs dating. The refined age model is nonlinear and shows periods of lower and higher sediment accumulation rates, which coincided with periods of lower and higher frequency of floods in the river, respectively. Concentrations of most heavy metals, normalized to lithogenic aluminium, revealed vigorous short-term variation related to floods, whose magnitude exceeds that of long-term trends. There is a substantial risk that temporal contamination trends, even if normalized to lithogenic elements, can be strongly influenced by facies, which may lead to potential misinterpretations. Element normalizing to MS, which proved to be a good proxy of grain size, provided smoother long-term trends whose interpretation was less affected by short-term variations. The long-term trends exhibit decreasing concentrations of most heavy metals for the last ~ 25 years, most notably between ~ 1987 and ~ 1992. These historical patterns correspond well to the significant improvement in environmental pollution reported elsewhere in Central Europe. In contrast, concentrations of Na have systematically increased up until the present, partly being driven by the widespread use of de-icing salt for winter road treatment.     

Magnetic spherules in sediments of the karstic Dobra River (Croatia)

Purpose

The paper describes an unusual finding of magnetic particles in stream sediments of the karstic Dobra River (Croatia). It aims to investigate the magnetic susceptibility properties of river sediments and to find links with their mineralogical and chemical composition. The goal of our research was to suggest the possible origin of magnetic particles in the river sediments within the Dinaric karst region, which to our knowledge was not exposed to metal manufacturing processes.

Materials and methods

A preliminary, exploratory sediment sampling programme was undertaken. Sediments were collected near the channel bank (from the top layer) at 16 representative stations distributed along the length of the Dobra River (110 km). Sediments were air-dried and passed through 2-mm and 63-μm sieves, and analysed for magnetic susceptibility (and Curie temperature), isothermal remanent magnetism (IRM), stereo-microscopy of separated magnetic grains, mineralogical analysis (using X-ray diffraction), and chemical analysis (using inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry).

Results and discussion

Increased magnetic susceptibility and IRM values were observed mostly in the sediments of the Upper Dobra. Thermomagnetic curves show a distinctive Curie-point of magnetite at 580 °C. Additional transformation observed at 520–560 °C derives from titanomagnetite. There was no significant correlation between magnetic susceptibility and Fe. Magnetic particles from the Dobra River sediments contain pyroxene, plagioclase, hematite and quartz, in addition to magnetite. White spherules within magnetic grains are also present. The major constituent of five separated magnetic spherules is Fe; the minor constituents are Al, Ca, Mg and Si, and there are numerous trace elements (Ba, Cr, K, Mn, Na, Ni, Ti and V). The ratio Ni/ Fe versus Cr/Fe suggests that the magnetic spherules are impactites.

Conclusions

Magnetic spherules were discovered for the first time in stream sediments of the sinking karstic Dobra River, a region where anthropogenic sources for that contribution are absent. Preliminary results point to a possible impactite, formed either by a shock event caused by a meteorite impact or by volcanic processes. The presence of magnetic spherules in the fluvial sediments of the Upper Dobra River represents a new and exciting finding and deserves further field work and laboratory research.     

Spatial patterns and temporal changes of heavy metal distributions in river sediments in a region with multiple pollution sources

Purpose

The main purpose of this study was to evaluate temporal and regional variability of contamination by heavy metals (HMs) in river sediments using their enrichment factors (EFs) and benchmarking according to sediment quality guidelines (SQGs). The Zlin region in the Czech Republic (Morava and Drevnice River basins) represents a model area where several regionally specific ecological risk assessment studies have recently been conducted with a focus on organic pollution, eco-toxicity, geological, and geochemical characteristics.

Materials and methods

Four consecutive sediment sampling campaigns were undertaken in spring and autumn 2005–2006. Aqua-regia leachable content of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sb, V, and Zn in surface sediments from 14 sites was analyzed using ICP-MS, and Hg content was analyzed using AMA-254 analyzer. EFs were calculated to identify the human impact on pollution in the area. Comparisons to SGQs were conducted to identify the areas and HMs of greatest risk.

Results and discussion

Calculation of EFs contributed to the effective clustering of HMs. Median EFs of Co, Ni, and V ranged from 0.9 to 1.4 at all sites indicating concentrations very close to natural geological background levels. There was greater enrichment at locally polluted sites, the highest in the cases of Cd, Sb, Hg, and Cr. Widespread influence of diffuse HM sources (traffic, agriculture, and urban wastes) was apparent from elevated concentrations of Pb, Cu, and Zn at all sites. EF values also helped to identify the greatest temporal changes and shifts in HMs contamination between adjacent sites caused by 50-year recurrence interval floods in early spring 2006. The impact was most apparent in downstream sites; namely directly below the confluence of the two major rivers.

Conclusions

The overall contamination of HMs in the region was classified as low-to-moderate with significantly contaminated sub-areas. The study showed relatively stable spatial distributions of HMs, indicating potential sources of pollution. Cu was identified as the HM of greatest risk. The study emphasizes the necessity of considering both environmental circumstances and background HM occurrence to prevent misinterpretation of the pollution situation. The use of EFs which include grain size proxy normalization and HM background levels, along with the comparison of the detected concentrations to SQGs, proved an efficient way to identify hazardous contamination from anthropogenic sources.     

Redistribution of organic pollutants in river sediments and alluvial soils related to major floods

Background, Aims, and Scope  More frequent occurrence of stronger floods in Europe as well as in other parts of the world in recent years raises major concern about the material damages, but also an important issue of contamination of the affected areas through flooding. The effects of major floods on levels and distribution of contamination with hydrophobic organic pollutants were examined from the continuous set of data for floodplain soils and sediments from a model industrial area in the Czech Republic where a 100-year flood occurred in 1997. The goal of this study was to evaluate the risk related to contamination associated with such extensive natural events and characterize the spatial and temporal distribution and dynamics of pollutants related to a major flooding shortly after the floods and also in the time period several years after floods. Methods  Sediments and alluvial soils from fourteen sites each were repeatedly sampled during the period from 1996 until 2005. The sampling sites represented five regions. Collected top-layer sediment and soil samples were characterized and analyzed for hydrophobic organic pollutants PCBs, OCPs and HCB using GC-ECD and PAHs using a GC-MS instrument. Spatial and temporal differences as well as the relative distribution of the pollutants were examined in detail by statistical analysis including multivariate methods with special emphases placed on the changes related to floods. Results  The organic pollutants levels in both alluvial soils and sediments exceeded the safe environmental limits at numerous sites. Pollutants concentrations and relative distribution as well as organic carbon content in both sediment and floodplain soils were significantly affected by the flooding, which resulted in a decrease of all studied contaminants in sediments and significant rise of the PAH pollution in the flooded soils. There was a unique and highly conserved PAH pattern in soils regardless of the floods and greater changes in PAH pattern in sediments related to floods. The relative distribution of individual PAHs reflected a combustion generated PAH profile. PAH levels in the river sediments rose again at the sites with continuous sources several years after floods. Discussion  The results showed different dynamics of PAHs and PCBs during the floods when PAHs were redistributed from the sediments to alluvial soils while PCBs have been washed out of the study regions. The data reveal longer contamination memory and consistent contamination pattern in soils, whereas sediments showed more dynamic changes responding strongly to the actual situation. The stable PAH pattern within the regions also indicates that a relative amount of all compounds is comparable across the samples and, thus, that the sources at different sites have similar character. Conclusions  Sediments have the potential to function as a secondary source of contamination for the aquatic ecosystem, but also for the floodplain soils and other flooded areas. The floods served as a vector of PAHs contamination from sediments to soils. The reloading of river sediments in time, namely with PAHs, due to present sources increases their risk as a potential source in the next bigger flood event both to the downstream river basin and affected alluvial soils. Recommendations and Perspectives  The results stress the importance of including the floodplain soil contamination in the risk assessment focused on flood effects. Floodplain soils have stable long-term environmental memory related to contamination levels, pattern and distribution, whereby they can provide relevant information on the overall contamination of the area. The sediments will continue to serve as a potential source of contaminants and alluvial soils as the catchment media reflecting the major flood events, especially until effective measures are taken to limit contamination sources. ESS-Submission Editor: Dr. Henner Hollert (Hollert@uni-heidelberg.de) This article is openly accessible!     

英国Culm河河漫滩沉积物中磷素时空变化研究

河漫滩上沉积物的沉积伴随着与沉积物相结合的营养和污染物质的沉积。已有研究表明,河漫滩是与沉积物相结合的磷的沉积地。采用137Cs技术,并结合河漫滩沉积物中全磷(TP)含量的剖面信息,可以调查近年河漫滩沉积物中的TP含量,计算TP储量。本文根据英国Devon郡Culm河8个河漫滩采样环沉积物中的数据,重建了在过去40～50年内TP储量和含量的变化。结果表明,在Culm河河漫滩沉积物中,在1963～2000年间TP平均含量为0.60～1.96gkg-1,该值自河流上游向下游和自过去到现在有逐渐增加的趋势;在相同的河漫滩沉积物中,在相同的时期内TP储量为18.62～435.48gm-2,即0.49～11.46gm-2a-1,最大值出现在河流的中游。     

Surprisingly small increase of the sedimentation rate in the floodplain of Morava River in the Strážnice area,Czech Republic,in the last 1300 years

Sediment profiles from the floodplain of Morava River in the Czech Republic have been collected from exposed river banks (4–6 m long sections) and cores (2–4 m deep) and investigated using a set of geochemical proxies validated by granulometry and conventional geochemical analysis, outlined in our previous paper. The work was conducted to evaluate the increase in sedimentation rate during Medieval and modern time periods. Correlation of sediments along the current channel belt allows identification of two most important synchronous changes in the channel structure over the past 1300 years: in the 13th century and at the end of the 16th century. These changes could be related to central European climatic extremes rather than to land cover/land use practises. Analysis of the pollen record in peaty deposits at the floodplain edge allows excluded dramatic deforestation in Medieval times. Maps of the area from the last five centuries revealed direct and indirect signs of past avulsions and clearly show how the original multichannel system was transformed into a single meandering channel in the early 20th century. The extrapolated aggradation rate (net vertical accretion of floodplain fines except for levee sediments) increased from 0.2–0.3 cm/year in 700 AD to 0.3–0.4 cm/year in 2000 AD depending on the grain size of the sediment. This is the smallest yet reported enhancement of siliclastic deposition, although Morava River watershed has been intensively used for agriculture and its land cover has changed in a manner similar to west and central European rivers.     

英国Culm河河漫滩沉积物中磷素时空变化研究

河漫滩上沉积物的沉积伴随着与沉积物相结合的营养和污染物质的沉积.已有研究表明,河漫滩是与沉积物相结合的磷的沉积地.采用137Cs技术,并结合河漫滩沉积物中全磷(TP)含量的剖面信息,可以调查近年河漫滩沉积物中的TP含量,计算TP储量.本文根据英国Devon郡Culm河8个河漫滩采样环沉积物中的数据,重建了在过去40～50年内TP储量和含量的变化.结果表明,在Culm河河漫滩沉积物中,在1963～2000年间TP平均含量为0.60～1.96 g kg-1,该值自河流上游向下游和自过去到现在有逐渐增加的趋势;在相同的河漫滩沉积物中,在相同的时期内TP储量为18.62～435.48 g m-2,即0.49～11.46 g m-2 a-1, 最大值出现在河流的中游.     

Quantification of alluvial sediment storage in contrasting environments: Methodology and error estimation

Floodplains are an important sediment sink in many temperate catchments during the Holocene, especially where anthropogenic land use had a dominant influence on the landscape. As such, the quantification of Holocene floodplain deposits plays an important role in the global interest in continent-ocean transfers of sediments. In this study the total Holocene floodplain deposition was quantified for three contrasting catchments in Belgium, characterized by a different fluvial architecture and Holocene deposits thickness. Several methods were used to delineate the floodplain, and combined with different amounts of field data in Monte Carlo type simulations. The results show that the method used to delineate the floodplains is responsible for the largest uncertainties on the results, while the number of used field data has less influence.     

Vertical distribution of radiocesium in soils of the area affected by the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident

Presented are results of the study of radiocesium vertical distribution in the soils of the irrigation pond catchments in the near field 0.25 to 8 km from the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP, on sections of the Niida River floodplain, and in a forest ecosystem typical of the territory contaminated after the accident. It is shown that the vertical migration of radiocesium in undisturbed forest and grassland soils in the zone affected by the Fukushima accident is faster than it was in the soils of the 30-km zone of the Chernobyl NPP for a similar time interval after the accident. The effective dispersion coefficients in the Fukushima soils are several times higher than those for the Chernobyl soils. This may be associated with higher annual precipitation (by about 2.5 times) in Fukushima as compared to the Chernobyl zone. In the forest soils the radiocesium dispersion is faster as compared to grassland soils, both in the Fukushima and Chernobyl zones. The study and analysis of the vertical distribution of the Fukushima origin radiocesium in the Niida gawa floodplain soils has made it possible to identify areas of contaminated sediment accumulation on the floodplain. The average accumulation rate for sediments at the study locations on the Niida gawa floodplain varied from 0.3 to 3.3 cm/year. Taking into account the sediments accumulation leading to an increase in the radiocesium inventory in alluvial soils is key for predicting redistribution of radioactive contamination after the Fukushima accident on the river catchments, as well as for decision-making on contaminated territories remediation and clean-up. Clean-up of alluvial soils does not seem to be worthwhile because of the following accumulation of contaminated sediments originating from more contaminated areas, including the exclusion zone.     

Sedimentation-induced eutrophication in large river floodplains – An obstacle to restoration?

Conservation and restoration of floodplain ecosystems and their specific functions often suffer from a deficient knowledge on basic processes and dynamics such as sedimentation and related nutrient inputs. In this study, we present the results of a joint analysis of site conditions and vegetation of alluvial meadows along a gradient of increasing distance to the main channel of the river Rhine. In particular we scrutinized whether the flooding frequency mediated by the ground elevation or the distance to the river channel determines the degree of eutrophication by river water and sediments.We found a remarkably strong transversal gradient in the functional floodplain. Extremely high concentrations of CAL-soluble phosphorous (more than 150 mg kg⁻¹) were measured in close proximity to the main channel. These sites were characterized by low vascular plant species richness and a significantly higher proportion of species with high nutrient demands. At a distance of 300 m from the main channel P concentrations in the soil dropped to a quarter of this figure, whereas the average species richness per plot strongly increased. Contrary to our expectations, the influence of the flooding duration was of minor importance for the nutrient status. We can specify that strong eutrophication effects induced by sediment deposits are confined to the close proximity to the main channel within a distance of 200–300 m. At more distant sites, target vegetation of flood meadows was obviously not affected by recent nutrient input in the course of flooding. Concerns by conservationists that the restoration of active floodplains by the removal of dykes will generally lead to unwanted eutrophication by river water and sediments require revision and thorough specification.     

神府─东胜煤田开发对乌兰木伦河河道淤积与输沙的影响

神府─东胜煤田自1987-1993年开发以来,河道露天采煤、矿区建设排弃的大量土石碴堆积于河道或岸坡,导致河床淤积严重,输沙量骤增.乌兰木伦河下游50km净淤积1310.5×10⁴m³,平均年增加187.2×10⁴m³,输沙量比采矿前增加70%,平均年增加735×10⁴t.文中对河道淤积的泥沙来源和采矿排弃物流失量进行了深入分析,并提出该流域治理的建议与对策.     

河漫滩沉积物中磷素沉积的研究进展

河流沉积物可以携带营养元素并沉积在河漫滩上:概述了沉积物在河漫滩上的沉积率、与之相伴随的磷素在河漫滩上的沉积、磷素在河漫滩上的存在形态及其对水体质量的影响。     

Holocene evolution of floodplain soils and landscapes in the Kulikovo field area

The lithostratigraphic, radiocarbon, macro- and micromorphological, particle-size, and other analyses have been applied to reconstruct the Holocene evolution of soils and landscapes on the high- and mediumlevel floodplains of the Nepryadva River in the Kulikovo field area. It is shown that the soils buried within the thickness of alluvial sediments on the high- and medium-level floodplains were formed in different times and had their own evolution patterns; the polygenetic nature of these soils is demonstrated. The development of floodplain landscapes in the Holocene was affected by the long-term climatic fluctuations. The bed of the high floodplain was formed during the Late Valdai glacial stage. The beginning of the development of an intricate sequence of buried soils and sediments of the floodplain dates back to the Boreal period. This pedosedimentary sequence in the studied area can be referred to as the Kulikovo sequence. In the course of its formation, the pedogenic stages with a predominant development of soils alternated with the lithogenic stages of active alluviation and deposition of colluvial deposits from adjacent slopes on the floodplain.     

Changes in bedload transport rate associated with episodic sediment supply in a Japanese headwater channel

We conducted field monitoring of bedload transport rate associated with experimental sediment release in a natural channel to clarify behavior of the supplied sediment on mixed size bed. Observation of bedload rate at two sites along the 30 m channel reach revealed that downstream migration of finer particles delay compared with coarser particles. Ratio of the bedload sediment that deposited during the migration was higher for finer sediments. These behaviors of the mixed size particles were clear during passage of the sediment wave without changes in water discharge. Flashing peak of discharge that caused artificially by opening of the dam gate did not destroy channel bed structure including steps and pools formed by coarser sediments, and only small amount of bedload was mobilized. Both reach scale channel features including steps, pools, and riffles as well as fine scale features (i.e., armour coat) likely increased critical shear stress of particles and decreased bedload rate during our experiment. Extreme sediment supply induced two types of sediment deposition; (1) filling the pools in reach sales and (2) the intrusion of fine particles into the coarser sediment that formed an armour layer. The all grain size fractions can deposit as type (1) when shear stress of stream water is not enough to entrain bedload particles, while deposition type (2) occurs when finer sediment pass over channel bed on which armour coat is well-developed. Deposition of finer sediment into coarser sediment that forms armour coat is affected by grain size distribution of bed surface sediment. Thus, impact of the sediment supply on downstream channel depends on both bedforms and grain size distribution of bed surface sediment over which the supplied sediment pass.